Return of the Victor
by mercy-angel-09
Summary: It's been years and now Utena is returning to Ohtori. Has the academy changed, or has she?
1. Default Chapter

Return of the Victor

Chapter 1

Rating: PG

By Mercy_Angel_09

Author's Notes:

Hmmm, I guess I finally got around to posting this.  I wrote this with the intent of exploring the possibility of Utena facing down her past and the events of Ohtori, and her life after she left.  And maybe to give the romance between Utena and Touga one last shot . . .^.~  I just hope I won't disappoint you die hard fans out there.  Don't worry, I've seen all of the episodes so it's not like I don't know what happened (my beloved Rose Prince made sure of that!), I just hope I don't stray too far from the original idea.

            She wasn't sure why she had to go back.  All she knew was that it was calling to her.

            She rose early that morning, perhaps a little too early, but her housemate was still sleeping when she peeked in to see if she had been woken.  But Anthy Himemiya and ChuChu slept on, unaware that she was going to leave.

            Leaving the quaint little house behind, she drove away into the sunrise towards the beckoning vibe that was coming from Ohtori Acadamey.  Conveniently placed in the middle of nowhere, it had been used in the early days as an exclusive private school.  But when Akio had assumed control, it had become an ageless place, much like Akio himself.  

            Akio . . . what was he doing at that moment?  Probably planning something devious, some way to bring about a revolution.  Unless he had finally figured out that she had caused it.  

            But that was unlikely.  He used the projector in his planetarium to manipulate certain students, even faculty, should the need arise.  And that was how he had brought the revolution with her.  A few of the students had been aware of his activities, but they had never said a word, in fact, they were in it with him to the end.

            Sighing into the wind, she glanced at the sunhat that sat in the seat next to her.  She couldn't wear it at the moment, having a convertible meant that she would have lost it, but there was something pleasant about it sitting next to her.  It was made of straw and it had a white silk rose attached to it.  It matched her white pantsuit well.

            She smiled as she remembered Anthy coming home with it one afternoon.  "I saw it in a store window, Utena, and I thought of you.  I just had to buy it for you."

            Anthy no longer called her Miss Utena, and thankfully, had also started to date around a little.  No more titles, no more honorifics, and no more engagement.  Anthy was currently dating a medical student from the local university, which she took as a sign that the former Rose Bride had finally achieved normalcy.  To a degree anyway.

            She still obsessed over the rose garden that had taken up most of the space of their tiny front lawn, but those roses received more attention from the neighbors and passing people than Anthy and Utena.  They were grown in every color variety, green and blue, orange, yellow, white, pink, the peace rose (yellow with pink petal edges), but the ones that Utena loved the most were the blood red ones.  The ones that Touga always wore during the duels.  

            There was a tinge of pain in her heart as she remembered what Touga had tried to do for her.  He had known of what Akio's plan was.  He knew that Akio was the End of the World.  And he knew that Akio was going to hurt her in the worst possible way.  Then he had tried to convince her that she had to lose the final duel with him so he would be the one to take the brunt of the pain.  He had understood the game.  He knew the rules.  And he knew that she was caught up in it because the "promise" of a prince.

            A prince that turned out to be the Lord of Flies.

            But she was going to put it all to rest with a final visit to Ohtori.  She was going to be freed from Akio's world forever.

            She could see it in the distance, the tall observatory in the middle of campus, where the student council chambers and Akio's quarters were.  Behind it was the Duel Forest.  And all around it was the school.  She gripped the steering wheel tighter, causing her knuckles to turn white.  It wasn't too late to turn back, but no, she was going to stick it out.  She was going to go though it all.  She was going to put the past behind her with this trip.

            It was time to see the effects of the Revolution.

Okay, hopefully this is a good lead in for the next couple of chapters.  If anyone has any comments about where the story it going I'd love to hear them, because frankly I'm not entirely sure myself!  (This should be interesting . . .)  

Anyway if anyone would like to volunteer for pre-reader duty I'd be interested to know.  I'm always looking for people to bounce ideas off of.  My email is listed on my profile and I check my mail pretty regularly so expect a response within one to two days.

Mercy_Angel_09


	2. Chapter 2

Return of the Victor

Chapter 2

Rating PG-13 (strong language and innuendo)

By Mercy_Angel_09

Disclaimers:

 I do not, will not, cannot, own Shoujo Kakumei Utena.  Sadly, other, bigger companies do.

Author's Notes:

It's time to see what Akio is up to.  Now this really should be interesting . . . .

            She pulled into a parking spot and was about to fish out change for a parking meter when she remembered that the town had no parking meters.  This wasn't the outside world after all.  She had returned to Akio's world.

            Nothing had changed since she had left.  Nothing.  The cobbled streets were still the same, the air still held the salty breeze from the nearby ocean, and all of the buildings remained pristine white.  Putting on her sunhat, she braced herself for the upcoming shocks to her system.

            Wandering onto the campus, she noted that the uniforms were still the same.  Holding her chin high, she walked around and eventually wound up in her old dorm.  It took some doing on her part, but she managed to open the door and find her old room.  The name plaque still read "Utena Tenjou" and "Anthy Himemiya."  So Akio hadn't taken them down after all.  Perhaps after Anthy had left, he had stopped using this dorm completely.  That seemed the logical answer, since ten years of dust covered the building.

            She left the building to gather more dust as she made her way to the main part of the school.  Noticing that some of the students were giving her strange looks, she pretended to be checking class sizes and the campus, as though she wanted to enter a child into the school.

            It was by chance that she managed to find the entrance that was marked as the headmaster's quarters.  Perhaps she could give him a surprise.  She had to be last person that he thought that he'd ever see again, perhaps next to Anthy.

            She rapped on the door lightly and waited for an answer.  It was about thirty seconds before she received an answer.  "Come in."

            She opened the door and faced him down, a sort of gleaming triumph in her eyes at the sight of the shock and surprise in his.  This was one of the few things that he couldn't control, and he would just have to get used to it.

            "Utena?" he choked out.

            "Yes Akio.  It's me," she answered as she closed the door behind her and stood before his desk.  "Obviously you didn't see this coming."

            "No, I didn't.  I thought that you'd never return."

            "You thought wrong.  Takiko returned, didn't she?"

            "That never happened."

            Utena shrugged.  "If you say so."  She wandered over to a wall that now contained pictures.  Upon closer inspection, they were class pictures of the graduating classes from years past and a few personal photos.  There were a few of himself and Kanae, one of himself and Anthy, and much to her surprise, one of herself, himself, and Anthy.  Why that was hanging there with the others was beyond Utena at that particular moment.

            "So, I assume that you and Kanae have finally wed?"

            "It was shortly after you and Anthy left."

            "Any children?"

            "No."

            "Obviously you haven't been very busy."

            "And what were you implying with that?"

            Utena turned and smiled wryly at him.  "Oh, nothing.  You know, I was just wondering what you'd do once your whore left you."

            That statement had somehow managed to penetrate Akio's cool demeanor.  His eyes flashed dangerously.  "I don't know where you come off with cheek like that, but I don't appreciate it."

            "You don't appreciate the fact that you couldn't control me."

            "I was able to control you.  I managed to bring you here to participate in the duels, didn't I?"

            "So you did.  But you didn't count on my independence.  I would have returned for Anthy if she hadn't have come to me."

            "You say that, but that's because you didn't have to come and fetch her."

            "She was nothing more than the Rose Bride to you.  And yet she was willing to do anything for you.  And she did some pretty disgusting things for you Akio."

            "She did them of her free will."

            "She did them because she thought that was what her prince wanted her to do!"

            "That's what you think."

            "Akio, Anthy isn't the same person she was when I met her.  She's gone though some pretty amazing changes since she left here.  How long did you hold her here anyway?  She says that while she was here, she was timeless!"

            "So she was, and as am I.  And you would have been too, if you had cooperated with me."

            "Well I didn't, did I?"

            "I could have made you a princess."

            "And made Anthy suffer at my expense?  I'm not like you Akio.  People are living, breathing beings.  They have feelings and emotions, and here's something that I'm sure never would have occurred to you, a free will."

            "It was your free will that had you cast away from this school, Miss Tenjou."

            "So?  Do you really think that I care?  I don't know if you noticed or not, but I did cause the revolution.  And do you know how I did it?"

            Akio merely looked at her.

            "Because I actually gave a damn about the other duelists and Anthy.  You could have cared less about what happened to your sister, but there was something deep within you, something that wanted to break free.  Dios is free now Akio, he doesn't need you anymore.  That's why the Rose Bride was able to leave you."

            "Are you finished?"

            "Yes."

            "Well, then I trust that you'll be on your way?"

            Utena looked around the observatory office.  The projector still took up the center of the room, and she could see the shutters that would slam down at Akio's command.  "Yes, I'm done with you forever, Akio Ohtori.  I've closed the book on this chapter of my life."

            Akio gave her a devilish grin.  "Is that so?  So why do you wear the mark of the rose around your neck?"

            Utena inhaled sharply.  She wore the chain that held her signet in place under her blouse, so how did he know?  Then she remembered that Akio knew everything about everyone who came onto the campus.  "What if I do?  I did have a prince, Akio.  But he wasn't you."

            Akio snorted.  "Obviously.  This is good-bye forever Miss Tenjou.  Once you leave Ohtori, you leave for good."

            She narrowed her eyes at him.  "That was what I was counting on."

Ohh!  Diss!  You go Utena!  

I wasn't sure how Utena would really react to seeing Akio again, so I did the best that I could.  I figure that once Utena left Ohtori, certain aspects that would have been fuzzy for her while she was there (for instance, the entire thing with the Black Rose that supposedly "never happenend") became clearer as the distance allowed her a fuller view of the whole thing.  I'm also assuming that she kept her Rose Signet as a reminder of the past, and of her attachment to Anthy, and more importantly to Touga.  (Had to get that in there somewhere . . .)

Like I said before, I'm looking for ideas since I'm not entirely sure which direction I want this to go.  All I know is that she's going to meet up with all of the other duelists (and possibly Wakaba for the hell of it) and sort of reminise.  If you thought that the memory lane trip with Akio was fun, wait till she starts talking to Nanami.  (Moo!  Moo!)

Anyway, if you have ideas let me know and if you want to be a pre-reader (to catch mistakes I might make) contact me as well.

Ja, 

Mercy_Angel_09


	3. Chapter 3

Return of the Victor

Chapter 3

Rating PG-13 (strong language and innuendo)

By Mercy_Angel_09

Disclaimers:

 I do not, will not, cannot, own Shoujo Kakumei Utena.  Sadly, other, bigger companies do.

Author's Notes: Okay, Saionji is up next (I'm doing this in the order that they dueled (and I'm sticking only with the Student Council)) and we all know how that relationship was .  . . it kinda makes you wonder if they've changed at all.

            It was a great feeling, walking out of Akio's office forever.  Now she understood that feeling that Anthy had described to her once they had met in the outside world.  Anthy had said that it was like weight had been lifted away from her soul.  Utena had laughed at first, but now she understood.  Now she knew what it was like to be free from every hold that Akio might have still had on her.

            She continued to wander around campus, looking for sign of the former student council.  She was interested to know how they were doing since the Revolution.

            As she neared the wing of the school that housed the kendo club, there was a sense of familiarity that took hold of her.  Looking around, she searched for some little sign that Kyoichi Saionji might be lurking about.

            She found it when she stepped into the room.  He sat before the alter that held the school's katanas and was in the middle of praying, but he seemed to perk up when he heard her footsteps.  Grabbing the katana at his side, he stood to meet her.

            "Whoa, I'm not here to fight you."

            The puzzled look on his face reminded her of what Anthy had said to her one night as they discussed the events that had brought them together.  "They wouldn't remember you.  Or if they did, they wouldn't know why."

            "Utena Tenjou, what brings you back?"

            She let out a sigh of relief.  He did remember her.  "Oh, curiosity mainly."

            "I would have thought that since the Rose Bride is with you all of the time, you wouldn't have time for us."

            "I was never after the Rose Bride, stupid.  I was trying to keep Anthy as my friend.  And if I had to be engaged to her to be her friend, then I would keep winning the duels."

            "Odd reasoning, if you ask me."

            "I didn't."

            "Oh."

            "I thought that you wouldn't remember me."

            "I didn't until a few months ago.  Then I found the exchange diary that I had kept with Himemiya.  I said some awful things about you in it."

            Utena's eyebrow twitched.  "I know."

            Saionji looked sheepish as he remembered the curry incident.  "Oh yes.  I remember now."

            "But that's in the past," Utena continued.  "You know, Anthy's a new person."

            "Really?"

            "She's actually quite independent.  She has excellent opinions and she's an interesting person to talk to.  I can understand why all of the guys fall for her."

            "All . . . of the . . . guys?"

            "Oh yes, Anthy attracts them in hoards.  It's pretty funny to watch them vie for her attention."

            "Vie . . . for her . . . attention?"

            "I think that you might actually have a chance with her, that is, if you left Ohtori completely behind you.  Akio wouldn't miss you, not since the Revolution."

            Saionji moved his line of sight from Utena's face to the floorboards.  "I don't think that I could ever leave."

            "Sure you could."

            "I don't think so."

            "Why not?  Anthy left, didn't she?"

            "She did, but I don't think that I could survive in the outside world.  Here I know where my life is going."

            "All the more reason to leave.  Akio shouldn't control your destiny, you should."

            "Have you seen the others?"

            "Not yet.  I'm going to find Miki after I'm done with you."

            "Oh.  Are you going to tell them the same thing?"

            "Of course.  Akio is holding you back, Saionji.  And to tell you the truth, I think that Anthy misses you.  Even if you did hit her and were a complete and total control freak and-"

            "Thank you Miss Tenjou, I get the point."

            "Well, at least you weren't as bad as Akio."

            "Oh, that makes me feel so much better about myself Miss Tenjou."

            "Well it should!"

            "Are you done yet?"

            "That's what Akio asked me."

            "You saw Akio?  Are you sick in the head or something?"

            "What else was I supposed to do?  If I didn't go see him, then I never would have been able to break his final holds on me.  But I'm free of him now.  Forever.  No more Akio and no more feeling like I'm still being held prisoner."

            "Are you sure?  You're living with Anthy, if I'm not mistaken."

            "Yeah, she's a great roommate.  She always has been."

            "Indeed.  Well, what about her?  You say she's moved on, yet has she really?"

            "Anthy moved on when she left."

            "I see.  And have you moved past Ohtori completely?  Have you really been able to put all of this behind you?  Or do you still wait for your own prince?"

            Utena could feel the blush rising in her cheeks.  How did he do that?!  "I'm working on it," she answered slowly, hoping that she wasn't going to betray her true feelings.

            "You won't have to look for him.  He'll find you when the time is right."

            Utena blinked a few times.  "He'll find me?"

            "He'll find you."  Saionji turned around and knelt again.  "I need to return to my meditation.  Good afternoon, Miss Tenjou."

            "Uh, yes.  Um, good afternoon, Saionji."  Utena headed for the door, and paused only a moment to look at him, kneeling before the alter.  "Promise that you'll leave this place sometime.  There's so much more our there."

That was interesting . . . I figured that Saionji had to grow up sometime, but the short conversation between the two seemed fitting since they really didn't get along at all, and they really have no reason to start being friendly.  Hopefully Saionji wasn't too out of character (and I figure after ten years there has to be some changes in their personalities).  If he was I apologize profusely.  

Mercy_Angel_09


End file.
